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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25615996">Of Blood Loss and Bandages</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugarpuffqueen/pseuds/Sugarpuffqueen'>Sugarpuffqueen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Teen Wolf (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, Derek Hale &amp; Melissa McCall Friendship, Hospitals, Hurt Derek Hale, M/M, Mentions of Scott McCall - Freeform, Pack Mom Melissa McCall, Post-Canon, post 6b</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:21:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,209</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25615996</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugarpuffqueen/pseuds/Sugarpuffqueen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Derek stumbles home, injured and a little out of it, only to find his boyfriend isn't there, it's Melissa McCall who has to take care of him until Stiles is done doing whatever it is he rushed off to do.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>119</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Of Blood Loss and Bandages</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I love the idea of Melissa being the adoptive mom to all the members of the pack who don't have mothers of their own, and sometimes (okay, most of the time) I think Derek really needs a mom. So, here's some Melissa McCall being Derek Hale's mom!</p><p>This *might* turn into a Mama-McCall-taking-care-of-her-pups series... that was the plan, but I haven't had any more ideas yet :/</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Derek!” Melissa exclaimed as the werewolf stumbled through the sliding door to the loft. The boy (yes, he was still definitely a boy in her eyes) had one blood covered hand pressed to his abdomen and his face was pale and pained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swayed, and Melissa surged forward, trying to avoid hurting him as she wrapped her arm around his back and pulled his arm over her shoulders, guiding him as quickly as she could towards the bed. He looked like he might pass out and she knew she’d never get him off the floor if that happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, kiddo,” she said clearly. “Stay with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“St-stiles,” Derek stammered, his voice breathy. “Whe-where’s Stiles?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’ll be home soon,” Melissa said, lowering Derek to sit on the edge of the mattress. Luckily, he didn’t seem aware enough to realize she wasn’t telling the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In reality, Stiles was supposed to be here. For fuck’s sake, her only purpose for coming to the loft was to keep Stiles out of harm’s way. Both Derek and Noah had made her promise to keep him safe. But he’d had the police scanner on when she’d gotten there, and then they’d heard a call for backup to his dad’s house, and dammit all if Stiles listened to reason when his family was in danger. Melissa hadn’t been able to come up with a convincing enough argument to keep him here. All she’d been able to do was assure him that she’d stay and tell Derek what had happened when he came home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Neither of them had been expecting the wolf to be in such a state.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Derek’s head lolled forward and his grip on his abdomen loosened. Melissa quickly lifted his shirt to find three long, deep gashes, then quickly removed the shirt and pressed it hard to the wounds, saying, “Hey! Stay with me, Derek! Look at me. Tell me what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hissed, eyes opening widely in response to the pain. He found Melissa, but gave her a confused look, like he wasn’t even sure what was happening. Melissa knew getting him to talk wasn’t going to work. She had only minutes, maybe seconds, before he lost consciousness, so she took his bloodied hand and pressed it to the shirt now covering the gashes, saying, “Put pressure on it, Derek. Press hard, okay? Press hard. I’m going to lay you down and find something to wrap this with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Derek didn’t respond except to whisper Stiles’ name, but he didn’t fight Melissa, either, and once she was sure he wasn’t going to pass out immediately, she dashed toward the bathroom to gather supplies. She thanked every deity she could think of that Stiles tended to be over prepared for disaster, grabbing a bottle of rubbing alcohol and as many bandages as she could find, as well as a suture kit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, kiddo, let’s get you put back together, huh?” Melissa said, giving Derek a smile as she opened the antiseptic. “This is gonna sting, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wolf let out a raspy little whimper that Melissa wasn’t entirely sure was in response to what she’d said. But she couldn’t wait for him to understand, so she pulled at his wrist to lift his hand from the wound. It didn’t budge. Well, at least he’d listened about pressing hard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Derek, honey, I need you to let go now, okay?” Melissa said, pulling at his hand again. “I’ve gotta clean you up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Derek blinked at her and for a moment, she thought he hadn’t understood. But then he lifted his hand and Melissa was able to swoop in with the bottle of rubbing alcohol and pour a good amount on the gashes. Derek made a sound in his throat like a low growl and Melissa said, “I know it hurts, kiddo. But it’s gonna help, okay? Just stay with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She threaded a needle with steady hands. Melissa hadn’t had to suture anyone up in a while, but as it turned out, it was kind of like riding a bike. Once she’d started, it felt like she’d been doing it every day of her life. She worked fast, babbling non-stop just like Stiles would if he were here. She knew it calmed Derek, and she needed him to stay present so he didn’t go into shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya know, nurses don’t really do sutures in the hospital,” she said, tying a knot. “It’s supposed to be a procedure for the doctors. But they usually leave it to the interns and residents, and most of them don’t really know what they’re doing, so I learned waaay back when I first started at Beacon Memorial. Scott was about five and he’d just met Stiles at school. I’d never met a more accident-prone kid. I mean, Stiles could hurt himself sleeping. And those two together? Even back then, they got into everything! Plus, at the time, I was married to a deputy who had a knack for doing things the hard way. And even after he left, I was basically co-parenting two boys with Noah. He’s not nearly as accident-prone as his son, but his job is dangerous. It just seemed logical to learn to suture, ya know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melissa moved onto the next gash, trying not to guess why Derek wasn’t healing already. His breathing was getting shallow, but his eyes were still trained on her, so she kept talking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I stitched Stiles up once. I think that was the last time I did this, actually. He and Scott had been doing something in the preserve. I never did get a straight answer out of either of ‘em when I asked, so it probably wasn’t legal. I think they were about twelve or thirteen? Scott called me on the cell phone he was only supposed to carry for emergencies. He’d never once actually used it for anything but texting Stiles and ordering pizza, or calling me to ask if he could stay at Stiles’ place or something like that, so when he called, I almost didn’t answer. I was working and we weren’t supposed to take personal calls. But something told me I’d better answer that one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was a good thing I did. Scott was freaking out and I could barely understand him. And Stiles was yelling in the background, ‘I’m gonna puke!’ It was chaos. I met them at the edge of the preserve. I have no idea how Scott got Stiles there. The bottoms of his feet were all torn up. I thought he was gonna pass out as I was stitching them up. But everyone survived. And then they got grounded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There,” Melissa said, tying off the last stitch. “You’re done. I’m just gonna bandage this up and then--hey! Derek? Stay with me kiddo!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But his eyes were rolling back and his face was paper white. Melissa reached forward and rested her hand on his forehead. He was cold and clammy; going into shock. She pressed her fingers to his wrist and found his pulse was weak and thready. He needed blood. She had to get him to the hospital. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the ambulance was called, it only took a few minutes to get there. Still, Melissa was worried. Derek wasn’t healing and he wasn’t waking up. If his organs weren’t getting enough oxygen from his blood, there could be permanent damage. Or at least that was the danger for humans. She had to hold onto the hope that the wolf’s healing ability would decide to suddenly kick in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t allowed to help when they got to the hospital, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t in the room. She watched as the medical team worked to stabilize him, giving him blood and oxygen and probably an antibiotic to stave off infection in his wounds. Melissa stopped paying attention to what they were doing and just watched Derek. He looked so unlike the tall, strong wolf she knew he was and more like the boy he must have been before the fire: smaller, younger, innocent. Like if he opened his eyes right now, she wouldn’t see the usual pain masked by anger. Instead, he might be scared, just like Scott had been every time his asthma had landed him in the hospital up until he’d been bitten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Derek’s heart rate was finally stable, Melissa pushed passed the doctor, squeezing the wolf’s hand and running her fingers through his hair, saying lowly, “You’re gonna be okay, kiddo. Everything’s gonna be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t know if it was true, but the doctor was talking about having to monitor kidney and liver function and not being able to tell about cognitive function until he woke up and the words “if he even wakes up” were being thrown around and Melissa couldn’t let that be the only thing Derek heard. So she kept talking to him, telling him that she would be here when he woke up and that he didn’t need to worry about anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the rest of the staff left the room, she called Stiles and left him a voicemail, hoping that no matter what was happening, he was better off than his boyfriend. She called Scott, too, because he would want to know. He thanked her and said he’d go help Stiles. Melissa didn’t like the idea of sending her son into whatever was happening at the Stilinski house. (There were so many big bads in Beacon Hills right now, it could be almost anything.) But not long after she’d found out Scott was a werewolf, they’d agreed that he would use his abilities to help people, so she told him she loved him before hanging up and turning back to Derek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A line formed between the boy’s eyebrows and a soft, raspy sort of sound came from his throat. Melissa took his hand again and felt his fingers twitch around hers. She ran her fingers through his hair once more and he turned into the touch, mumbling, “St’les?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not yet, kiddo,” Melissa answered in the most reassuring tone she could muster. “Soon. He’ll be here soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Derek’s eyes cracked open and Melissa rested a hand on his cheek. Some of his color had come back and she was pleased to find his face wasn’t cold to the touch anymore. He blinked at her a couple times and rasped, “Hurts.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She ran her thumb over the high part of his cheek and asked, “Do you want me to ask the doctor to give you some pain meds?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave her a confused expression, then slowly turned his face to look around the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re in the hospital. You weren’t healing so I stitched you up, but you lost a lot of blood. You went into shock and lost consciousness, so I had to call 911. They gave you blood and antibiotics.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at her again, eyes more alert as he said, “Don’t s’pose it was wolf blood.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea whose blood it was, kiddo,” Melissa answered. “Does it make a difference?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Heal faster if it was a wolf,” Derek said. He turned his gaze toward the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melissa wasn’t sure if he’d heard someone or if he was just waiting for Stiles, but she could tell his mouth was dry because he kept opening it to peel his tongue off the roof of his mouth. There was a pitcher of water and a plastic cup on the counter behind her, so she turned and poured him some.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just a sip, okay? Don’t drink too fast,” she said, lifting his head and holding the cup to his lips. He looked like he wanted to finish it, so Melissa pulled it away and said, “You can have more in a little bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She laid his head back down and he stared at her for a long time. She set the cup on the bedside table and pulled a chair up to sit next to him. Now that he was fully awake, she wasn’t sure if he’d be okay with all the touching, so she tried to keep her hands to herself. Still, she couldn’t help straightening his blankets and giving him a reassuring smile. It faltered, though, and Derek’s eyebrows knit as he grated out, “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” Melissa shook her head, hitching the smile back onto her face. He raised his eyebrows, obviously not believing her, so she caved and said, “It’s just, I don’t understand why you weren’t healing. I mean, part of the reason I don’t worry as much about Scott running after every supernatural creature in Beacon Hills is because I know he’s gonna heal quickly. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely worry about my son, especially when I know he’s in danger, but, well, if there’s something that could keep him from healing, I wanna know about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Derek let her ramble, his face getting this soft, wistful look on it that made Melissa a little sad for some reason. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, and she wasn’t used to the wolf looking so vulnerable. He didn’t lose the expression as he cleared his throat and said, “I… I think she told me not to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melissa blinked at him and Derek looked confused as he said, “I don’t really remember. It’s kinda fuzzy. But I think I didn’t heal because she told me not to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melissa went to grasp Derek’s arm because he was looking a little disturbed by what he was saying, but she thought better of it and just rested her hand on the bed instead, saying, “Who is ‘she’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Derek looked at Melissa, his brow furrowing in concentration as he answered slowly, “A witch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It sounded like a question, which made Melissa frown. But as frustrated as she was, she knew Derek was probably more frustrated, since it seemed like his memory had been affected. Whether it was the witch or blood loss, Melissa wasn’t sure. She looked at him, and for a moment, she thought she saw that scared boy she’d imagined while he was still unconscious. It was a fleeting glimpse, though, and Derek’s face went back to its stony scowl. Melissa smoothed the sheet under her hand and said, “Well, I’m glad you didn’t bleed out. And I hope you start healing soon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gave him another small smile before turning her gaze to his heart monitor. It was showing a steady rhythm, so it wasn’t like she really needed to watch it, but she wasn’t sure what else to do. After a moment, Derek asked, “When’s Stiles getting here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melissa reluctantly tore her eyes away from the monitor and looked at him again. She didn’t want to tell him she didn’t know. And she definitely didn’t want to have the conversation where she had to explain that she’d let his boyfriend run into danger after promising she’d keep him safe. But he would be able to tell if she was lying now that he was aware of his surroundings. Then again, if she was going to have to tell Derek Hale that Stiles might be in trouble, it was probably a good thing they were in a hospital. She opened her mouth to explain what happened when the door burst open and Stiles came barreling inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Derek? Babe, what happened? Are you okay? Scott said you were hurt and that you went home but his mom brought you here. Hi Melissa.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he’d finished talking, Stiles was on the other side of Derek’s bed, grasping his hand. He looked a little worse for wear with a split lip and his right eye blossoming into a swollen, purple bruise, but it was obvious he didn’t care about the state of his own face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s your dad?” Melissa asked, standing when Noah didn’t follow his son into the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Down the hall getting his leg looked at,” Stiles said dismissively, not looking away from Derek’s face. Melissa figured Noah probably wasn’t that bad off if his son wasn’t worried, so she came around the bed and cupped Stiles’ chin, tilting his face toward the light to get a good look at his black eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing. I’m fine,” Stiles assured her, sounding a little annoyed as he pulled his face out of her grip and turned back to his boyfriend. “How are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine once I start healing,” Derek said, scowling at Stiles’ injuries. He undermined his words, though, when he tried to push himself up and hissed sharply. Melissa plucked the bed remote from its hook on the wall and handed it to him. Derek pressed the button to raise the top half of his mattress, his face tightening in discomfort with the movement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Derek was in his new position, Melissa shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortably. If the wolf hadn’t started healing already, she wasn’t convinced he would do it any quicker than a human. Derek looked at her, obviously smelling whatever signals she was giving off, but it was Stiles who opened his mouth first, saying, “It might take a little while. I mean, when Scott showed up at the house, he said he took care of the witch but he also said she threw some nasty magic at you guys. I think I’m gonna hafta do some research to figure out how to reverse it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to do that,” Derek started. “Deaton--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Deaton has enough on his plate,” Stiles cut in. “Besides, I’m faster at research anyway.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy plopped down into a chair where Derek fixed him with a look and growled, “How did you get hurt? You were supposed to stay home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s my fault,” Melissa said. She may not want to feel Derek’s wrath, but she didn’t want Stiles to take the blame. “He had the police scanner on when I got to the loft. I should’ve turned it off--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Stiles interjected, pointing at Melissa. “You don’t get to blame yourself for a stupid black eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you,” he pointed at Derek, “have to stop treating me like being human is some kind of death sentence. If I hadn’t gone to help when I heard my dad call for backup, he’d probably have a broken neck instead of a broken leg. I’m not fragile, Derek. I can help. You used to know that. You used to ask me for help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Derek scowled. “That was before--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t!” Stiles cut him off again, giving Derek the most serious glower Melissa had ever seen him wear. “Don’t you dare say anything about the wild hunt. I survived, didn’t I? I’m fine. In fact, I’m stronger and smarter for having gone through it. Now shut up and let me take care of you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Derek’s nostrils flared but he didn’t say anything else. Stiles must have taken his silence as some sort of invitation because he stood again and started checking his boyfriend over in such a loving way that Melissa felt like she was intruding on something. She smiled to herself before saying, “I’ll just go check on Noah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Derek would be fine. Stiles would be fine. And while she’d probably never stop worrying about them like they were her own, she could let them take care of each other sometimes.</span>
</p>
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